SIA & Los Angeles LGBT Center Announce Joining Forces for Groundbreaking Conference

HOLLYWOOD, Calif. - March 18, 2015 - PRLog -- Activists, survivors of institutional abuse and supporters from around the globe will gather on Saturday, March 28, 2015 for the Survivors of Institutional Abuse (“SIA”) 2015 Conference to discuss how and when this type of abuse happens and why passing legislation s so vital.  The SIA 2015 Conference will take place at the Hollywood & Highland Center from 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. and After Party 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. (see website for details and agenda).  The public is invited to this day long event to hear expert panelists, with a lunch break by celebrity caterer, Wolfgang Puck and a silent auction of Survivor artwork winding down into the evening.  Survivors and supporters will “Make our Silence Heard to Stop Institutional Abuse” with a “#BreakingCodeSilence” demonstration on Hollywood Blvd. during the conference and an After Party Cocktail Reception and Podcast will wrap up the event.

The Conference opens with featured speakers from the Los Angeles LGBT Center with discussions of proposed legislation to require all facilities that advertise behavior modification services to be licensed and regulated by California’s Department of Social Services, just like group homes for youths.  Other panelists are Activists, Filmmakers & Survivors of Abuse including Attorney & Author Paul Morantz, Filmmaker Activist Nick Gaglia, Filmmaker David Wernsman and Mental Health Advocate Cynthia Clark Harvey and Authors Misty Griffin & Esther Miller and President, Founder and Survivor Jodi Hobbs (Mini Bios follow and additional information on the website).

Child abuse disguised as treatment has been present in U.S. residential treatment centers in the United States for over 50 years. From drug rehabs to boot camps, wilderness programs to therapeutic boarding schools, children are suffering physical, psychological, and sexual abuse — and in the worst cases — death.  SIA Organization warns parents that the parent-pay/parent-choice programs, from residential treatment centers, therapeutic boarding schools to those offering behavior modification, faith-based or positive peer culture programs, are not regulated by the Federal Government and that it is a “Buyer Beware” industry. “Many parents don’t realize that they are assigning legal guardianship of their children to administrators of institutions that operate in a regulatory no-man’s land,” said SIA Founder, Jodi Hobbs.  According to Hobbs, the industry has no governmental agency to regulate or inspect the facilities to ensure even basic protections for youth, from access to food, water, and medical care, the licensing of teachers and counselors, treatment techniques, or the conditions of facilities. These institutions are scrutinized only when reports of abuse, or even death, filter out through survivors to the media. “Rather than waiting for tragedy to strike, we are working with the state to correct these gaps in regulation,” added Hobbs.

State legislation will offer limited protections because these businesses have a history of moving to other states after being shut down in one state. In addition they recruit children from states other than the state in which they operate; we must also work toward a federal solution to this problem. Accordingly, U.S. Representatives are working to re-introduce federal legislation that will create uniform regulations of these facilities across the United States — requiring protection of basic rights for youths as well as increased reporting of abuse at these facilities.

About Survivors of Institutional Abuse (SIA)

SIA is a California registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering and aiding in the healing of adults who have been subject to abuse in private or government institutions, residential treatment centers, detention centers, or foster care. SIA brings awareness to institutional child abuse and helps survivors on their journey of recovery.   For more information about SIA and their President and Founder Jodi Hobbs, and to learn more, please visit www.sia-now.org and www.sia-convention.org or email (http://www.sia-convention.org/) info@sia-now.org

SIA Conference 2015 Featured Speakers

Paul Morantz — Is an attorney who specialized for 40 years in rescuing children from abusive cults and litigating against therapists and self-help groups that victimized their clients. He is the author of Escape: My Lifelong War Against Cults.

Nick Gaglia — Is a filmmaker and activist. He has made several feature films on the topic of institutional child abuse including Over the GW, which was based on his 2 1/2 year experience in an abusive, cult-like drug rehabilitation center as a kid. Gaglia has spoken on Capitol Hill, Dr. Phil, NYU, Fox News, Fordham University, and Cal State.

David Wernsman — Is the main subject of the award-winning Showtime documentary Kidnapped for Christ, produced by Lance Bass. He is a U.S. citizen who was placed in a controversial Christian behavioral modification camp for teens in the Dominican Republic by his parents because they found out he was gay and wanted to fix his alleged “affliction.”

Cynthia Clark Harvey — Is a writer by training, artist by choice, and a children’s mental health advocate by necessity. She became an advocate/activist after the death of her 15-year-old daughter, Erica, in a so-called “wilderness therapy” program in 2002.

Misty Griffin — Is the author of Tears of the Silenced. As a kid, she was forced into slavery and brutalized for 14 years in an Amish sect.

Esther Miller — Is a best-selling author, activist, and survivor of clergy sexual abuse. She  has crafted a 5-step healing system, moving from chaos to calm.

Jodi Hobbs — The President and Founder of SIA and a survivor of Victory Christian Academy, a youth treatment facility that was closed after scathing accusations of abuse were leveled against the proprietor. She has an MBA and has been working with various nonprofit organizations for over 15 years.

4th Annual SIA Conference Agenda (see website for Agenda)

10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.

Survivors and supporters will “Make our Silence Heard to Stop Institutional Abuse” with a “#BreakingCodeSilence” demonstration on Hollywood Blvd. during the conference

After Party 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. (see website for details and agenda).

Hollywood & Highland Center
Vantage Dining Room - 5th Floor
Hollywood & Highland Center
6801 Hollywood Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90028